Spurious input detection system

ABSTRACT

A spurious input detection system includes a touch input display, a touch input surface, and a non-transitory, computer-readable medium. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, provide a spurious input detection engine. The spurious input detection engine is operable to receive a first input from the touch input display and a second input from the touch input surface. The spurious input detection engine is further operable to determine that the first input is a spurious input based on a combination of the first input and the second input. The spurious input detection engine will cause the first input to be disregarded in response to determining that it is a spurious input.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/241,595, filed Sep. 23, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to touch input display devicesand more particularly to a spurious input detection system for a touchinput display device.

2. Related Art

Touch input displays for computing and other information handlingsystems are becoming common as input devices. In particular, phones,tablets, and a variety of other mobile/portable device known in the arthave begun incorporating touch input displays that allow users toperform ‘tap’ inputs, ‘swipe’ inputs, ‘pinch’ inputs, and/or a varietyof other touch inputs known in the art, in order to provide inputs orinstructions to a processor in the device. However, because a user musttypically support the device with their hands, spurious or unintentionalinputs or instructions to the device may occur as a result of contactbetween the touch input display and the user's fingers or thumb that arebeing used to support the device. Such spurious or unintentional inputscan result in a negative user experience.

Conventional solutions to this problem involve providing a border on thedevice that extends between the edges of the device and the touch inputdisplay and that does not allow touch inputs. For example, inconventional tablet devices, a 1 to 1½ inch border is located on thefront surface of the tablet device and extends between the edges of thetablet device and the touch input display and about the perimeter of thetouch input display. A user may then hold the tablet device by engagingthe rear surface of the tablet device with their fingers and the frontsurface of the tablet device with their thumb, with their thumbpositioned within the border such that no inputs are provided on thetouch input display. However, such borders limit the size of the touchinput display and prevent the touch input display from extending to theedges of the tablet device.

Thus, there is a need for an improved touch input display device.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a spurious input detection system isincluded in a tablet computing device having a touch input displaylocated on a first side of the tablet computing device and a touch inputsurface located on a second side of the tablet computing device that isopposite the first side. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium ishoused in the tablet device and includes instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor, provide a spurious input detection engine thatis operable to receive a first input from the touch input display,receive a second input from the touch input surface, and determine thatthe first input is a spurious input based on a combination of the firstinput and the second input. Determination that the first input is aspurious input may result in the spurious input detection engine causingthe first input to be disregarded.

In one embodiment, the spurious input detection engine may detect thatthe first input is a single thumb input and the second input is aplurality of fingers located adjacent a common edge of the touch inputsurface and, as a result, determine that the first input is a spuriousinput due to the first input and the second input indicating that a useris holding the tablet device with a single hand. The spurious inputdetection engine may then detect a third input on the touch inputsurface that indicates the user is holding the tablet device with twohands and, as a result, determine that the first input is no longer aspurious input. In another embodiment, the spurious input detectionsystem may include a sensor in the tablet device that senses movementand/or orientation changes in the tablet device and, in response, sendsa signal to the spurious input detection engine. That signal may be usedalong with the first and second input to determine whether the firstinput is a spurious input.

As a result, the touch input display may be extended out to each of aplurality of edges that extend between the first side and the secondside of the tablet device, maximizing the touch input display area whilepreventing spurious or unintentional inputs that result from the userusing the touch input display to hold or support the tablet device

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure willbe more readily apparent from the detailed description of theembodiments set forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 a is a front perspective view illustrating an embodiment of atablet device;

FIG. 1 b is a rear perspective view illustrating an embodiment of thetablet device of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 1 c is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the tabletdevice of FIGS. 1 a and 1 b;

FIG. 2 a is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method fordetecting spurious inputs;

FIG. 2 b is a front view illustrating an embodiment of a user providingan input to the tablet device of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 2 c is a rear view illustrating an embodiment of a user providingan input to the tablet device of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 2 d is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a spuriousinput detection engine using the inputs illustrated in FIGS. 2 b and 2 cto determine whether a spurious input is being provided to the tabletdevice of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 3 a is a front view illustrating an embodiment of a user providinginputs to the tablet device of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 3 b is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a spuriousinput detection engine using the inputs illustrated in FIGS. 2 b and 3 ato determine whether a spurious input is being provided to the tabletdevice of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 3 c is a rear view illustrating an embodiment of a user providinginputs to the tablet device of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c;

FIG. 3 d is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a spuriousinput detection engine using the inputs illustrated in FIGS. 3 a and 3 cto determine whether a spurious input is being provided to the tabletdevice of FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a computersystem.

Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are bestunderstood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Itshould be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identifylike elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, whereinshowings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of thepresent disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a system and method for detectingspurious inputs. In one embodiment, the spurious input detection systemincludes a spurious input detection engine located in a tablet computingdevice. The spurious input detection engine is coupled to a touch inputdisplay and a touch input surface that are located on opposite sides ofthe touch input device. The spurious input detection engine receivesinputs from both the touch input display and the touch input surface anduses those inputs to determine whether the inputs received from thetouch input display are spurious or unintentional inputs provided by auser as a result of the user attempting to hold or otherwise support thetablet device using the touch input display. For example, combinationsof inputs on the touch input display and the touch input surface may beinterpreted by the spurious input detection engine as a single hand ofthe user being used to support the tablet device, and thus the input onthe touch input display may then be determined to be spurious (e.g., aninput that occurs as a result of the need to hold or support the tabledevice rather than an input meant to select something that is beingdisplayed on the touch input display and/or provide instructions to aprocessor). Spurious inputs may then be disregarded or otherwise notused to cause the table device to perform an action. The spurious inputdetection system allows the touch input display to extend to the edgesof the tablet device without resulting in spurious inputs from a userthat result from holding the tablet device using at least a portion ofthe touch input display.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c, a spurious input detectionsystem is illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated and describedbelow, the spurious input detection system is included on a tabletcomputing device 100. However, one of skill in the art will recognizethat the spurious input detection system may be provided on a variety ofdevices other than tablet computing devices (e.g., phones, laptopcomputers, and/or a variety of other portable/mobile computing devicesknown in the art) while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure. The tablet computing device 100 includes a tablet chassis102 having a front surface 102 a, a rear surface 102 b located oppositethe tablet chassis 102 from the front surface 102 a, a top edge 102 cextending between the front surface 102 a and the rear surface 102 b ofthe tablet chassis 102, a bottom edge 102 d located opposite the tabletchassis 102 from the top edge 102 c and extending between the frontsurface 102 a and the rear surface 102 b of the tablet chassis 102, anda pair of side edges 102 e and 102 f located opposite the tablet chassis102 from each other and extending between the front surface 102 a, therear surface 102 b, the top edge 102 c, and the bottom edge 102 d. Atablet housing 104 is defined by the tablet chassis 102 between thefront surface 102 a, the rear surface 102 b, the top edge 102 c, thebottom edge 102 d, and the side edges 102 e and 102 f.

A touch input display 106 is included on the tablet computing device100. In the illustrated embodiment, the touch input display 106 ishoused in the tablet housing 104 and located on the tablet chassis 102such that the touch input display 106 provides the front surface 102 aof the tablet chassis 102. As can be seen in the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1 a, the touch input display 106 extends between the top edge102 c, the bottom edge 102 d, and the side edges 102 e and 102 f of thetablet chassis 102. In an embodiment, the touch input display 106 is acapacitive touch input display device that is operable to display imageson the portion of the touch input display 106 that provides the frontsurface 102 a of the tablet chassis 102, receive inputs from a user onthe portion of the touch input display 106 that provides the frontsurface 102 a of the tablet chassis 102 by detecting capacitance changesthat result from the users fingers engaging or being positionedproximate to the touch input display 106, and/or provide a variety ofother touch input display functionality known in the art. While acapacitive touch input display device is illustrated and describedbelow, one of skill in the art will recognize that a variety of othertouch input display devices may be used in the spurious input detectionsystem without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

A touch input surface 108 is included on the tablet computing device100. In the illustrated embodiment, the touch input surface 108 ishoused in the tablet housing 104 and located on the tablet chassis 102such that the touch input surface 108 provides some or all of the rearsurface 102 b of the tablet chassis 102. In the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1 b, the touch input surface 108 extends between the top edge102 c, the bottom edge 102 d, and the side edges 102 e and 102 f of thetablet chassis 102. In other embodiments, the touch input surface 108may include a plurality of touch input surfaces that provide portions ofthe rear surface 102 b of the tablet chassis 102. For example, separateand/or integrated touch input surfaces may be provided adjacent the topedge 102 c, the bottom edge 102 d, and/or the side edges 102 e and 102 fof the tablet chassis 102 such that those touch input surfaces extendalong the rear surface 102 b of the tablet chassis a predetermineddistance (e.g., 2 inches) from their respective adjacent edges. In otherexamples, the touch input surface 108 may include one or more touchinput surfaces shaped and/or dimensioned to optimize the detection ofspurious inputs, as discussed below.

In an embodiment, the touch input surface 108 is a capacitive touchinput device that is operable to receive inputs from a user on theportion or portions of the touch input surface 108 that provides therear surface 102 b of the tablet chassis 102 by detecting capacitancechanges that result from the users fingers engaging or being positionedproximate to the touch input surface 108, and/or provide a variety ofother touch input surface functionality known in the art. While acapacitive touch input surface device is illustrated and describedbelow, one of skill in the art will recognize that a variety of othertouch input surface devices may be used in the spurious input detectionsystem without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Furthermore, while the touch input surface 108 is illustrated andescribed as a non-display touch input surface, one of skill in the artwill recognize that the touch input surface 108 may be replaced with atouch input display device that is similar to the touch input display106 discussed above.

A spurious input detection engine or processor 110 is included in thespurious input detection system and, in the illustrated embodiment, islocated in the tablet housing 104. In an embodiment, the tablet housing104 houses a processor and a non-transitory, computer-readable medium.The non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide thespurious input detection engine 110. The spurious input detection engine110 is coupled to both the touch input display 106 and the touch inputsurface 108 through, for example, their coupling to the processor thatprovides the spurious input detection engine 110. A sensor 112 may belocated in the tablet housing 104 and coupled to the spurious inputdetection engine 110. In an embodiment the sensor 112 may be one or moresensors. In an embodiment, the sensor 112 includes an accelerometer orother sensor that is operable to determine an acceleration of the tabletchassis 102, a gyroscope or other sensor that is operable to determinean orientation of the table chassis 102, and/or a variety of othersensors known in the art.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d, a method 200 fordetecting spurious or unintentional inputs is illustrated. The method200 begins at block 102 where a chassis including a touch input displayand a touch input surface is provided. In an embodiment, the tabletcomputing device 100, described above with reference to FIGS. 1 a, 1 b,and 1 c, is provided. However, in other embodiments, a variety ofdifferent devices including a touch input display and a touch inputsurface (e.g., a phone, a laptop computing device, and/or a variety ofother devices known in the art) may be provided without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure. The method 100 then proceeds toblock 204 where a first input is received from the touch input display.FIGS. 2 b and 2 c illustrate the tablet computing device 100 being heldand/or supported by a user with a single hand 204 a located adjacent thebottom edge 102 d of the tablet chassis 102. As illustrated in FIG. 2 b,holding and/or supporting the tablet computing device 100 with a singlehand 204 a adjacent the bottom edge 102 d of the tablet chassis 102results in a thumb 204 b engaging the touch input display 106. Theengagement of the thumb 204 b with the touch input display 106 providesa first input on the touch input display 106 that is sent to andreceived by the spurious input detection engine 110. Furthermore,movement of the thumb 204 b along the touch input display 106(illustrated by the arrows A in FIG. 2 b), removal of the thumb 204 bfrom the touch input display 106 and subsequent replacement of the thumb204 b back on the touch input display 106 (i.e., a “tap”), and/or avariety of other thumb actions and/or repositioning may provide thefirst input on the touch input display 106 that is sent to and receivedby the spurious input detection engine 110. While the single hand 204 ais illustrated and described as holding and/or supporting the tabletcomputing device 100 adjacent the bottom edge 102 d of the tabletchassis 102, one of skill in the art will recognize that the single hand204 a may hold and/or support the tablet computing device 100 adjacentthe other edges (e.g., the top edge 102 c, the side edge 102 e, or theside edge 1020 or combinations of edges (e.g., the corner between thetop edge 102 c and the side edge 102 e) while still providing a firstinput on the touch input display 106 that is within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 206 where a second input isreceived from the touch input surface, although in differentembodiments, block 204 and 206 can be performed simultaneously or in adifferent order. As illustrated in FIG. 2 c, holding and/or supportingthe tablet computing device 100 with a single hand 204 a adjacent thebottom edge 102 d of the tablet chassis 102 results in a plurality offingers 204 c engaging the touch input surface 108. The engagement ofthe plurality of fingers 204 c with the touch input surface 108 providesa second input on the touch input surface 108 that is sent to andreceived by the spurious input detection engine 110. Furthermore,movement of any or all of the plurality of fingers 204 c along the touchinput surface 108 (illustrated by the arrows B in FIG. 2 c), removal ofany or all of the plurality of fingers 204 c from the touch inputsurface 108 and subsequent replacement of any or all of the plurality offingers 204 c back on the touch input surface 108, and/or a variety ofother finger actions and/or repositioning may provide the second inputon the touch input surface 108 that is sent to and received by thespurious input detection engine 110. While the single hand 204 a isillustrated and described as holding and/or supporting the tabletcomputing device 100 adjacent the bottom edge 102 d of the tabletchassis 102, one of skill in the art will recognize that the single hand204 a may hold and/or support the tablet computing device 100 adjacentthe other edges (e.g., the top edge 102 c, the side edge 102 e, or theside edge 102 f) or combinations of edges (e.g., the corner between thetop edge 102 c and the side edge 102 e) while still providing a secondinput on the touch input surface 108 that is within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 208 where the first input isdetermined to be a spurious input based on the combination of the firstinput and the second input. FIG. 2 d illustrates a schematic of thetouch input display 106, the touch input surface 108, and the spuriousinput detection engine 110. The first input on the touch input display106 that is received by the spurious input detection engine 110 in block204 of the method 200 is represented by a first input area 208 a. In anembodiment, the spurious input detection engine 110 is programmed withthe dimensions and the edges of the touch input display 106 (whichcorrespond to the edges 102 c, 102 d, 102 e, and 102 f of the tabletchassis 102) and/or other information about the touch input display 106.Thus, if the first input on the touch input display 106 is received bythe spurious input detection engine 110 as a plurality of coordinatesthat indicate the location of the first input relative to the touchinput display 106, the first input area 208 a indicates where on thetouch input display 106 the thumb 204 b of the user is engaging thetouch input display 106 (as illustrated in FIGS. 2 b and 2 d). Thesecond input on the touch input surface 108 that is received by thespurious input detection engine 110 in block 204 of the method 200 isrepresented by a plurality of second input areas 208 b. In anembodiment, the spurious input detection engine 110 is programmed withthe dimensions and the edges of the touch input surface 108 (whichcorrespond to the edges 102 c, 102 d, 102 e, and 102 f of the tabletchassis 102) and/or other information about the touch input screen 108.Thus, if the second input on the touch input surface 108 is received bythe spurious input detection engine 110 as a plurality of coordinatesthat indicate the location of the second input relative to the touchinput surface 108, the second input areas 208 b indicate where on thetouch input surface 108 the plurality of fingers 204 c of the user areengaging the touch input surface 108 (as illustrated in FIGS. 2 c and 2d).

The spurious input detection engine 110 may include a plurality ofpre-programmed and/or user provided spurious input configurations thatinclude combinations of first input on the touch input display 106 andthe second input on the touch input surface 108. In an embodiment,combinations of the first input on the touch input display 106 and thesecond input on the touch input surface 108 that indicate that a user isholding the tablet computing device 100 with one hand may be provided asspurious input configurations that will cause the spurious inputdetection engine 110 to determine that the first input is being providedon the touch input display 106 is a spurious input. For example, aspurious input configuration may include the first input on the touchinput display 106 represented by the first input area 208 a and thesecond input on the touch input surface 108 represented by the secondinput area 208 b. Furthermore, the spurious input configuration mayinclude the first input on the touch input display 106 represented bythe first input area 208 a and the second input on the touch inputsurface 108 represented by the second input areas 208 b being locatedadjacent a common edge of the touch input display 106 (e.g., the edge102 d of the tablet chassis in the illustrated embodiment) such that aspurious input will be detected whenever the user holds and/or supportsthe tablet computing device 100 with a single hand 204 a.

While a first input on the touch input display 106 has been illustratedand described as a single thumb 204 b providing that input and thesecond input on the touch input surface 108 has been illustrated anddescribed as a plurality of fingers 204 c providing that input, one ofskill in the art will recognize that the first input and second inputmay be provided in a variety of different ways and may include a varietyof different configurations that trigger the determination of a spuriousinput configuration while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, portions of the fingers, thumb, and/or hand 204a of the user may provide the first and/or second inputs to the touchinput display 106 and/or the touch input surface 108 (e.g., the side ofa finger or thumb or a portion of the palm of the hand 204 a of the usermay provide some or all of an input or inputs). In another example,multiple touch input areas may be determined on the touch input display(e.g., from multiple thumbs of the user engaging the touch inputsdisplay 106) and multiple touch input areas may be determined on thetouch input surface (e.g., from fingers or the palm of the user) andstill result in the determination of a spurious input due to thelocations of those touch input areas on the touch input display 106 andthe touch input surface 108 indicating that they are needed to holdand/or support the tablet computing device 100 and therefore should bedisregarded.

One of skill in the art will recognize that the physical capabilitiesand limitations of a users hands will allow a plurality of spuriousinput configurations to be determined that are based on combinations ofthe fingers, thumbs, and/or other portions of the hands in engagementwith the touch input device that indicate how that device is beinghandled and thus whether an input is intentional or not. For example,because the fingers and thumb on a hand are limited in their relativeplacement and positioning, it may be determined when inputs on theopposite sides of the tablet computing device 100 are from a single handor two hands. Furthermore, typical touch input device holdingconfigurations (e.g., the positioning of a users hand or hands inholding the device) may be determined such that finger inputs, thumbinputs, palm inputs, and other inputs from other portions of a usershand or hands may be quickly recognized by the spurious input detectionengine 110.

The method 100 then proceeds to block 210 where the first input isdisregarded. In response to determining that a spurious input is beingprovided on the touch input display 106, the spurious input detectionengine 110 operates to cause the first input on the touch input display106 to be disregarded. In an embodiment, in response to determining thata spurious input is being provided, the spurious input detection engine110 communicates the first input area 208 a to a touch input displaydisabling engine 210 a. In an embodiment, the touch input displaydisabling engine 210 a may include instructions that are stored on anon-transitory, computer-readable medium that is housed in the tabletchassis 102 and that is coupled to a processor. The instructions on thecomputer-readable medium may be executed by the processor to cause theprocessor to provide the touch input display disabling engine 210 athat, in response to receiving the first input area 208 a, is operableto disable a portion 210 b of the touch input display 106 that isadjacent the first input area 208 a, as illustrated in FIG. 2 d. Thedisabling the portion 210 b of the touch input display 106 causes anyinputs within the portion 210 b of the touch input display 106(including the first input represented by the touch input area 208 a) tobe disregarded (e.g., not used to perform an action that would otherwisebe performed in response to that input).

In another embodiment, the touch input display 106 may not be disabledby the touch input display disabling engine 210 a, and rather thespurious input detection engine 110 may receive all inputs transmittedfrom the touch input display 106 and remove any inputs that aredetermined to be spurious (e.g., the first input on the touch inputdisplay 106 represented by the first input area 208 a may be removed)before transmitting the non-spurious inputs from the touch input display106 to the processor such that the processor may perform actionsaccording to those inputs. Thus, the determination of a spurious inputconfiguration based on the first input on the touch input display 106and the second input on the touch input surface 108 causes the firstinput on the touch input display 106 to be disregarded as that firstinput is being used to hold and/or support the tablet computing device100 and is not meant to be providing an input to the processor toperform an action.

In another embodiment, the sensor 112 may be used to determine whether aspurious input is being provided. As discussed above, the sensor 112 maybe operable to detect movement of the tablet computing device 100, theorientation of the tablet computing device 100, and/or a variety ofother physical conditions of the tablet computing device 100, and send asignal to the spurious input detection engine 110 that indicates thatphysical condition of the tablet computing device.

In one example, the first input on the touch input display 106represented by the first input area 208 a and the second input on thetouch input display 108 represented by the second input areas 208 b maybe provided, followed by the sensor 112 detecting movement oracceleration of the tablet computing device 100 and sending a signalindicating that movement or acceleration to the spurious input detectionengine 110, followed by additional inputs on the touch input display 106and/or the touch input surface 108. The spurious input configurationsdiscussed above may include the combination of the first input on thetouch input display 106 represented by the first input area 208 a andthe second input on the touch input display 108 represented by thesecond input areas 208 b, the signal indicating movement or accelerationof the tablet computing device 100, and the additional inputs on thetouch input display 106 and/or the touch input surface 108, as thoseinputs and movement may indicate that the tablet computing device 100 isbeing physically handed or passed to another user. Thus, upon such aspurious input configuration being detected, the spurious inputdetection engine 110 may cause some or all of the inputs provided on thetouch input display 106 to be disregarded such that the tablet device100 may be passed between users without an unintentional inputs beingprovided.

In another example, the first input on the touch input display 106represented by the first input area 208 a and the second input on thetouch input display 108 represented by the second input areas 208 b maybe provided, followed by the sensor 112 detecting an orientation or achange in orientation of the tablet computing device 100 and sending asignal indicating that orientation or change in orientation to thespurious input detection engine 110, followed by additional inputs onthe touch input display 106 and/or the touch input surface 108. Thespurious input configurations discussed above may include thecombination of the first input on the touch input display 106represented by the first input area 208 a and the second input on thetouch input display 108 represented by the second input areas 208 b, thesignal indicating orientation or orientation change of the tabletcomputing device 100, and the additional inputs on the touch inputdisplay 106 and/or the touch input surface 108, as those inputs andmovement may indicate that the tablet computing device 100 is beingphysically handed or passed to another user. Thus, upon such a spuriousinput configuration being detected, the spurious input detection engine110 may cause some or all of the inputs provided on the touch inputdisplay 106 to be disregarded such that the tablet device 100 may bepassed between users without an unintentional input being provided.

In other examples, combinations of movement, acceleration, orientation,and/or orientation change may be included with input combinations toprovide spurious input configurations that, when determined by thespurious input detection engine 110, result in the one or more of theinputs on the touch input display 106 being disregarded. Furthermore,spurious input configurations may include factors other than inputs onthe touch input display 106 and the touch input surface 108 and signalssent by the sensor 112. In an embodiment, a clock or other timer may becoupled to the spurious input detection engine 110 and used to helpdetermine whether an input on the touch input display 106 is a spuriousinput. For example, the time interval measured between inputs on thetouch input display 106, the touch input surface 108, movement of thetablet computing device 100, and/or orientation changes in the tabletcomputing device 100 may indicate whether the input on the touch inputdisplay 106 is a spurious input and thus should be disregarded.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a, the first input on the touch input display106 may be disregarded until an additional input is provided to thetouch input display 106 and/or the touch input surface 108 that resultsin the combination of inputs on the touch input display 106 and thetouch input surface 108 no longer being included in the spurious inputconfigurations. For example, the user of the tablet computing device 100may choose to hold and/or support the tablet computing device 100 usinga second hand 300. In an embodiment, holding and/or supporting thetablet computing device 100 with the second hand 300 results in aplurality of fingers 302 on the second hand 300 engaging the touch inputsurface 108 adjacent the top edge 102 c of the tablet chassis 102, asillustrated in FIG. 3 a. The engagement of the plurality of fingers 302with the touch input surface 108 provides a third input on the touchinput surface 108 that is sent to and received by the spurious inputdetection engine 110. While the second hand 300 is illustrated anddescribed as holding and/or supporting the tablet computing device 100adjacent the top edge 102 c of the tablet chassis 102, one of skill inthe art will recognize that the second hand 300 may hold and/or supportthe tablet computing device 100 adjacent the other edges (e.g., thebottom edge 102 d, the side edge 102 e, or the side edge 102 f) orcombinations of edges (e.g., the corner between the top edge 102 c andthe side edge 102 e) while still providing a third input on the touchinput surface 108 that is within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 3 b, the third input on the touch input surface108 that is received by the spurious input detection engine 110 in block204 of the method 200 is represented by a plurality of third input areas304. In an embodiment, the spurious input detection engine 110 isprogrammed with the dimensions and the edges of the touch input surface108 (which correspond to the edges 102 c, 102 d, 102 e, and 102 f of thetablet chassis 102) and/or other information about the touch inputsurface 108. Thus, if the third input on the touch input surface 108 isreceived by the spurious input detection engine 110 as a plurality ofcoordinates that indicate the location of the third input relative tothe touch input surface 108, the third input areas 304 indicate where onthe touch input surface 108 the plurality of fingers 204 c of the userare engaging the touch input surface 108 (as illustrated in FIGS. 3 aand 3 b). Further, the combination of the second inputs on the touchinput surface 108 represented by the second input areas 208 b and thethird inputs on the touch input surface 108 represented by the thirdinput areas 304 may not be included in the spurious input configurationsprovided to the spurious input detection engine 110 due to those inputsindicating that the user is holding and/or supporting the tabletcomputing device 100 with two hands. Thus, in response to receiving thethird input on the touch input surface 108 represented by the thirdinput areas 304, the spurious input detection engine 110 may determinethat the first input on the touch input display 106 is no longer aspurious input (due to the combination of the second and third inputs onthe touch input surface 108 being provided).

The spurious input detection engine 110 may perform a variety of actionsin response to determining that the first input on the touch inputdisplay 106 is no longer a spurious input. For example, upon determiningthat the first input on the touch input display 106 represented by thefirst input area 208 a is no longer a spurious input, the spurious inputdetection engine 110 may continue to cause the first input on the touchinput display 106 to be disregarded. However, upon detecting that thefirst input on the touch input display 106 has been removed, followingby receiving a fourth input on the touch input display 106 that is insubstantially the same location as the first input was, the fourth inputmay be treated as a user input (e.g., provided to the processor as auser input of instructions for the processor). Thus, a user may supportthe tablet computing device 100 with a single hand 204 a using a thumb204 b on the touch input display 106 and a plurality of fingers 204 c onthe touch input surface 108, and an input resulting from the engagementof the thumb 204 b and the touch input display 106 will be disregarded.Then, upon supporting the tablet computing device 100 with a pluralityof fingers 302 on a second hand 300, the input resulting from theengagement of the thumb 204 b and the touch input display 106 willcontinue to be disregarded until that thumb 204 b is disengaged from thetouch input display 106 and then re-engaged with the touch input display106 in substantially the same location, at which time the inputresulting from the engagement of the thumb 204 b and the touch inputdisplay 106 with be provided to the processor as a user input. Inanother example, upon determining that the first input on the touchinput display 106 is no longer a spurious input, the spurious inputdetection engine 110 may continue to disregard the first input for apredetermined amount of time (e.g., 2 seconds), after which the firstinput on the touch input display 106 will be provided to the processoras a user input.

Referring now to FIG. 3 c, in another example, holding and/or supportingthe tablet computing device 100 with the second hand 300 results in athumb 306 on the second hand 300 engaging the touch input display 106adjacent the top edge 102 c of the tablet chassis 102, as illustrated inFIG. 3 c. The engagement of the thumb 306 with the touch input display106 provides a fourth input on the touch input display 106 that is sentto and received by the spurious input detection engine 110. Referringnow to FIG. 3 d, the fourth input on the touch input display 106 that isreceived by the spurious input detection engine 110 is represented by afourth input area 308. Because the combination of the second input onthe touch input surface 108 represented by the second input areas 208 band the third input on the touch input surface 108 represented by thethird input areas 304 result in the inputs not being included in thespurious input configurations provided to the spurious input detectionengine 110 due to those inputs indicating that the user is holdingand/or supporting the tablet computing device 100 with two hands, thefourth input on the touch input display 106 represented by the fourthinput area 308 will not be disregarded and may be used immediately toprovide user inputs to the processor. As discussed above, in anembodiment, the first input on the touch input display 106 representedby the first input area 208 a may be disregarded until it is disengagedfrom the touch input display 106, a predetermined time elapses, etc.

Thus, a spurious input detection system has been described that allowsinputs to a touch input display on a computing device to be disregardedbased on a combination of inputs provided to the touch input display anda touch input surface on the computing device that indicate whether theinputs on the touch input display are intentional or a result of theneed for the user to hold and/or support the computing device. Such asystem allows the touch input display to be extended substantiallyacross an entire side of the computing device because system allows thattouch input display to be used to hold and/or support the computingdevice without providing an input to the system, which allows forcomputing devices with larger touch input displays.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of a computer system 40Q suitablefor implementing the spurious input detection system and/or the tabletcomputing device 100, is illustrated. It should be appreciated thatother devices incorporating the spurious input detection system otherthan the tablet computing device discussed above may be implemented asthe computer system 800 in a manner as follows.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure,computer system 400 includes a bus 402 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information, which interconnects subsystems andcomponents, such as a processing component 404 (e.g., processor,micro-controller, digital signal processor (DSP), etc.), a system memorycomponent 406 (e.g., RAM), a static storage component 408 (e.g., ROM), adisk drive component 410 (e.g., magnetic or optical), a networkinterface component 412 (e.g., modem or Ethernet card), a displaycomponent 414 (e.g., CRT or LCD), an input component 418 (e.g.,keyboard, keypad, or virtual keyboard), a cursor control component 420(e.g., mouse, pointer, or trackball), and/or a location determinationcomponent 422 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) device asillustrated, a cell tower triangulation device, and/or a variety ofother location determination devices known in the art.) In oneimplementation, the disk drive component 410 may comprise a databasehaving one or more disk drive components.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the computersystem 400 performs specific operations by the processor 404 executingone or more sequences of instructions contained in the memory component406, such as described herein with respect to the spurious inputdetection system and/or the table computing device 100. Suchinstructions may be read into the system memory component 406 fromanother computer readable medium, such as the static storage component408 or the disk drive component 410. In other embodiments, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of or in combination with softwareinstructions to implement the present disclosure.

Logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium, which may refer toany medium that participates in providing instructions to the processor404 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.In one embodiment, the computer readable medium is non-transitory. Invarious implementations, non-volatile media includes optical or magneticdisks, such as the disk drive component 410, volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as the system memory component 406, andtransmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiberoptics, including wires that comprise the bus 402. In one example,transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such asthose generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Some common forms of computer readable media includes, for example,floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer is adapted to read. In oneembodiment, the computer readable media is non-transitory.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, execution ofinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may beperformed by the computer system 400. In various other embodiments ofthe present disclosure, a plurality of the computer systems 400 coupledby a communication link 424 to a network 426 (e.g., such as a LAN, WLAN,PTSN, and/or various other wired or wireless networks, includingtelecommunications, mobile, and cellular phone networks) may performinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure in coordinationwith one another.

The computer system 400 may transmit and receive messages, data,information and instructions, including one or more programs (i.e.,application code) through the communication link 424 and the networkinterface component 412. The network interface component 412 may includean antenna, either separate or integrated, to enable transmission andreception via the communication link 424. Received program code may beexecuted by processor 404 as received and/or stored in disk drivecomponent 410 or some other non-volatile storage component forexecution.

Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosuremay be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardwareand software. Also, where applicable, the various hardware componentsand/or software components set forth herein may be combined intocomposite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Where applicable,the various hardware components and/or software components set forthherein may be separated into sub-components comprising software,hardware, or both without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated thatsoftware components may be implemented as hardware components andvice-versa.

Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as programcode and/or data, may be stored on one or more computer readablemediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may beimplemented using one or more general purpose or specific purposecomputers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Whereapplicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may bechanged, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-stepsto provide features described herein.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosureto the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, itis contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modificationsto the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or impliedherein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus describedembodiments of the present disclosure, persons of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A spurious input detection system, comprising: atouch input display; a touch input surface; and a non-transitory,computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, provide a spurious input detection engine that is configuredto: receive a first input from the touch input display; receive a secondinput from the touch input surface; and determine that the first inputis a spurious input based on a combination of the first input and thesecond input; and disregard the first input in response to determiningthat the first input is a spurious input.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the disregarding the first input includes disabling a portion ofthe touch input display that is associated with the first input.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first input includes a single thumb inputand the second input includes at least one finger input and at least onepalm-portion input.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: asensor that is coupled to the spurious input detection engine andconfigured to measure movement, wherein the spurious input detectionengine is configured to receive a measured movement from the sensor, andwherein the determining that the first input is a spurious input isbased on a combination of the first input, the second input, and themeasured movement.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the spurious inputdetection engine is further configured to: receive the measured movementsubsequent to receiving the first input and the second input; receive athird input from the touch input display and a fourth input from thetouch input surface subsequent to receiving the measured movement;determine that the third input is a spurious input based on acombination of the first input, the second input, the measured movement,the third input, and the fourth input; and disregard the third input inresponse to determining that the third input is the spurious input. 6.The system of claim 5, wherein the measured movement is a measuredacceleration.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the measured movement isa change in orientation.
 8. A computing system, comprising: a chassisincluding a first side and a second side that is opposite the chassisfrom the first side; a processor housed in the chassis; a touch inputdisplay located on the first side of the chassis; a touch input surfacelocated on the second side of the chassis; and a non-transitory,computer-readable medium housed in the chassis, coupled to theprocessor, and including instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, provide a spurious input detection engine that is configuredto: receive a first input from the touch input display; receive a secondinput from the touch input surface; and determine that the first inputis a spurious input based on a combination of the first input and thesecond input; and disregard the first input in response to determiningthat the first input is a spurious input.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the disregarding the first input includes disabling a portion ofthe touch input display that is associated with the first input.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the first input includes a single thumb inputand the second input includes at least one finger input and at least onepalm-portion input.
 11. The system of claim 9, further comprising: atleast one sensor that is coupled to the spurious input detection engineand configured to measure movement, wherein the spurious input detectionengine is configured to receive a measured movement from the at leastone sensor, and wherein the determining that the first input is aspurious input is based on a combination of the first input, the secondinput, and the measured movement.
 12. The system of claim 11, whereinthe spurious input detection engine is further configured to: receivethe measured movement subsequent to receiving the first input and thesecond input; receive a third input from the touch input display and afourth input from the touch input surface subsequent to receiving themeasured movement; determine that the third input is a spurious inputbased on a combination of the first input, the second input, themeasured movement, the third input, and the fourth input; and disregardthe third input in response to determining that the third input is thespurious input.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the measuredmovement is a measured acceleration.
 14. The system of claim 12, whereinthe measured movement is a change in orientation.
 15. A method fordetecting spurious inputs, comprising: providing a chassis including atouch input display located on a first side of the chassis and a touchinput surface located on a second side of the chassis that is oppositethe first side; receiving a first input from the touch input display;receiving a second input from the touch input surface; and determiningthat the first input is a spurious input based on a combination of thefirst input and the second input; and disregarding the first input inresponse to determining that the first input is a spurious input. 16.The method of claim 16, wherein the disregarding the first inputincludes disabling a portion of the touch input display that isassociated with the first input.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thefirst input includes a single thumb input and the second input includesat least one finger input and at least one palm-portion input.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: receiving a measured movementsubsequent to receiving the first input and the second input; receivinga third input from the touch input display and a fourth input from thetouch input surface subsequent to receiving the measured movement;determining that the third input is a spurious input based on acombination of the first input, the second input, the measured movement,the third input, and the fourth input; and disregarding the third inputin response to determining that the third input is a spurious input. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein the measured movement is a measuredacceleration.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the measured movementis a change in orientation.